Network Control Verification System, Control Communication Terminal, Server Apparatus, and Network Control Verification Method

1. A network control verification system, comprising: a portable communication terminal; an electronic apparatus connected to a communication network and that includes a recording apparatus; a control communication terminal connected over the communication network to said electronic apparatus, said electronic apparatus being controllable through said control communication terminal; and a server apparatus which is connected to the communication network and which mediates communication between said portable communication terminal and said control communication terminal; said portable communication terminal including: a control information transmitter for transmitting control information regarding said electronic apparatus over the communication network to said control communication terminal in response to receiving as user-inputted instruction regarding said electronic apparatus, the control information including at least one instruction requesting said electronic apparatus to receive a selected information signal over the network and record the information signal to a recording medium, and a displaying mechanism; and said control communication terminal including: a control information acquiring mechanism for receiving the control information regarding said electronic apparatus over the communication network from said portable communication terminal, and for supplying the received control information to said electronic apparatus, a result information acquiring mechanism for acquiring from said electronic apparatus result information representative of results of controlling said electronic apparatus in accordance with the control information, the result information including an image derived by said electronic apparatus capturing a picture directly from the information signal and then adjusting the picture for display on said display mechanism of said portable communication terminal, and a result information transmitter for transmitting the result information over the communication network to said portable communication terminal; said server apparatus including: an information notifying mechanism which, upon receiving the control information from said control information transmitter of said portable communication terminal, notifies said control communication terminal that the control information has been received, an information transmitter for transmitting the control information to said control communication terminal in response to a request from said control communication terminal to deliver the control information, a result notifying mechanism which, upon receiving the result information from said control communication terminal, notifies said portable communication terminal that the result information has been received, and a result transmitter for transmitting the result information to said portable communication terminal in response to a request from said portable communication terminal to deliver the result information; said display mechanism of said portable communication terminal receiving the result information over the communication network from said control communication terminal and displaying the result information including the derived image.

2. A network control verification system according to claim 1 , wherein the control information includes a recording start instruction, and said result information acquiring mechanism of said control communication terminal acquires information about the information signal at a time when the recording of the information signal is started.

3. A network control verification system according to claim 2 , wherein the control information from said portable communication terminal includes a recording stop instruction, and said result information acquiring mechanism of said control communication terminal acquires information about the information signal at a time when the recording of the information signal is stopped.

4. A network control verification system according to claim 1 , wherein the adjusting of the picture captured directly from the externally supplied information signal includes generating a resized thumbnail image.

5. A network control verification system, comprising: a control communication terminal connected over a communication network to an electronic apparatus, the electronic apparatus being controllable by said control communication terminal in accordance with control information transmitted from a portable communication terminal over the communication network, the electronic apparatus including a recording apparatus; and a server apparatus which is connected to the communication network and which mediates communication between said portable communication terminal and said control communication terminal; said control communication terminal comprising: a control information receiving mechanism for receiving control information regarding the electronic apparatus from the portable communication terminal, the control information including at least one instruction requesting said electronic apparatus to receive a selected information signal over the network and record the information signal to a recording medium, a control information supplying mechanism for supplying the received control information to the electronic apparatus, a result information acquiring mechanism for acquiring from the electronic apparatus result information representative of results of controlling the electronic apparatus in accordance with the control information, the result information including an image derived by the electronic apparatus capturing a picture directly from the information signal and then adjusting the picture for display on said display mechanism of said portable communication terminal; and a result information transmitter for transmitting the result information acquired by said result information acquiring mechanism to the portable communication terminal, including the derived image; said server apparatus comprising: an information notifying mechanism which, upon receiving the control information from the portable communication terminal, notifies said control communication terminal that the information has been received, an information transmitter for transmitting the control information to said control communication terminal in response to a request from said control communication terminal to deliver the control information, a result notifying mechanism which, upon receiving the result information from said control communication terminal, notifies said portable communication terminal that the result information has been received, and a result transmitter for transmitting the result information to said portable communication terminal in response to a request from said portable communication terminal to deliver the result information.

6. A control communication terminal according to claim 5 , wherein the control information includes a recording start instruction, and said result information acquiring mechanism acquires information about the information signal at a time when the recording of the information signal is started.

7. A control communication terminal according to claim 5 , wherein the control information from the portable communication terminal includes a recording stop instruction, and said result information acquiring mechanism acquires information about the information signal at a time when the recording of the information signal is stopped.

8. A control communication terminal according to claim 5 , wherein the adjusting of the picture captured directly from the externally supplied information signal includes generating a resized thumbnail image.

9. A server apparatus of a network control verification system which includes a portable communication terminal, a control communication terminal, and said sewer apparatus which are connected to each other over a communication network, said sewer apparatus comprising: an information receiving mechanism for receiving control information transmitted by the portable communication terminal over the communication network, the control information for controlling an electronic apparatus connected to the control communication terminal, the electronic apparatus including a recording apparatus, the control information including at least one instruction for requesting said electronic apparatus to receive a selected information signal over the network and record the information signal to a recording medium; an information notifying mechanism for notifying the control communication terminal that the control information has been received; an information transmitter for transmitting the control information over the communication network to the control communication terminal in response to a request from the control communication terminal to deliver the control information; a result receiving mechanism for receiving over the communication network result information acquired by the control communication terminal from the electronic apparatus, the result information including an image derived by the electronic apparatus capturing a picture directly from the information signal and then adjusting the picture for display on said display mechanism of said portable communication terminal; a result notifying mechanism for notifying the portable communication terminal over the communication network that the result information has been received; and a result transmitter for transmitting the result information over the communication network to the portable communication terminal in response to a request from the portable communication terminal to deliver the result information including the derived image.

10. A sewer apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the adjusting of the picture captured directly from the externally supplied information signal includes generating a resized thumbnail image.

11. A network control verification method for a system that includes a portable communication terminal and a control communication terminal connected to each other over a communication network and that includes a server apparatus which is connected to the communication network and which mediates communication between said portable communication terminal and said control communication terminal, said network control verification method comprising: transmitting, from the portable communication terminal to the control communication terminal over the communication network, control information about an electronic apparatus connected to the control communication terminal in response to receiving user-inputted instruction regarding the electronic apparatus, the control information including at least one instruction requesting the electronic apparatus to receive a selected information signal over the network and record the information signal; supplying the control information from the control communication terminal to the electronic apparatus; acquiring, at the control communication terminal, result information from the electronic apparatus representative of results of controlling the electronic apparatus in accordance with the control information, the result information including an image derived by the electronic apparatus capturing a picture directly from the information signal and then adjusting the picture for display on said display mechanism of said portable communication terminal; transmitting the result information from the control communication terminal over the communication network to the portable communication terminal; receiving at the portable communication terminal, the result information; and displaying, by the portable communication terminal, the received result information including the derived image; said network control verification method further comprising: receiving, at the server apparatus, the control information transmitted by the portable communication terminal; notifying, by the server apparatus the control communication terminal that the control information has been received; transmitting, from the server apparatus the control information to the control communication terminal in response to a request from the control communication terminal to deliver the control information; receiving, at the server apparatus the result information transmitted by the control communication terminal; notifying, by the server apparatus the portable communication terminal that the result information has been received; and transmitting, from the server apparatus, result information to the portable communication terminal in response to a request from the portable communication terminal to deliver the result information.

12. A network control verification method according to claim 11 , wherein the control information includes a recording start instruction, and said result information acquiring step performed by the control communication terminal includes acquiring information about the information signal in effect when the recording of the information signal is started.

13. A network control verification method according to claim 12 , wherein the control information from the portable communication terminal includes a recording stop instruction, and said result information acquiring step performed by the control communication terminal includes acquiring information about the information signal in effect when the recording of the information signal is stopped.

14. A network control verification method according to claim 11 , wherein the adjusting of the picture captured directly from the externally supplied information signal includes generating a resized thumbnail image.